John A. Nicholson, 74, Westinghouse employeeJohn A...

John A. Nicholson, a retired Westinghouse Electric Co. employee, died Friday at Maryland Shock Trauma Center of injuries he suffered that day in a fall from a horse. The Columbia resident was 74.

Mr. Nicholson retired in 1987 from the comptroller's office at the Westinghouse plant in Linthicum, where he had worked since 1967. Earlier, he worked for Bendix Corp. in New Jersey.

He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Hackensack, N.J. He earned a bachelor's degree from what is now State University of New York at Buffalo and served in the Army during World War II.

In 1947, he married Jeanne Storm, who died in 1987.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. John Episcopal Church, 9120 Frederick Road in Ellicott City.

He is survived by a daughter, Susan Meyer of Ellicott City; and two grandchildren.

Ira R. Spector, 38, city markets firm director

Ira R. Spector, director of Baltimore Public Markets Corp. and former convenience store owner, died Tuesday of a massive heart attack at his Pikesville residence. He was 38.

For the past nine months, he had headed the quasi-private management company that manages the Belair, Broadway, Cross Street, Hollins and Northeast markets. Earlier, he had owned 7-Eleven convenience stores in Parkville and Hamilton.

Born in Northwest Baltimore, he was a 1978 graduate of Polytechnic Institute and attended the University of Maryland, College Park.

He is survived by his wife, the former Natalie Heiserman, whom he married in 1984; a son, Aaron Spector, and a daughter, Lisa Spector, both of Pikesville; his mother, Baltimore Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector; two brothers, Bruce S. Spector of Baltimore and Stephen L. Spector of Los Angeles; and several nieces and nephews.

Arthur L. Augenstein, 81, owner of area optical shops

Arthur L. Augenstein, who had owned a chain of optical shops in the Baltimore area, died Friday of pneumonia at his Jarrettsville home. He was 81.

From 1945 to 1986, he owned 14 New Deal Optical stores in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

The native of Lowell, Ohio, served in the Army during World War II from 1942 to 1945, and moved to Towson after he was discharged.

He was a member of several groups, including the Pasadena Bay Rod and Gun Club, and was past commodore of the Boumi Temple Yacht Club.

Services were held Monday.

He is survived by his wife, the former Lillie Robinson, whom he married in 1945; a son, Darryl Augenstein of Westminster; a daughter, Donita Dietz of Jarrettsville; a brother, Vernon Dale Augenstein of Lowell; two sisters, Frieda Howell and Eloise Gerber, both of Marietta, Ohio; and six grandchildren.